A partnership between Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and Stagecoach South West has delivered a series of improvements to local bus services across the region, benefiting communities in both rural and urban areas.

As part of these changes, Service Gold has been renamed Service 80.

The service continues to run between Paignton Bus Station, Totnes – South Brent – Ivybridge, and Plymouth City Centre, now with a new timetable featuring improved frequencies, providing passengers with a service that is easier to use, more consistent, and better suited to local travel needs.

Thanks to joint working across the councils and Stagecoach, the partnership has introduced additional weekday and Saturday journeys as well as a clearer “clockface” timetable, making it simpler for passengers to plan journeys.

Peter Knight, Managing Director for Stagecoach South West, said:

“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council to deliver these improvements for our passengers.

“By making services more regular and easier to use, we’re helping more people to access work, education, shopping and leisure opportunities while supporting more sustainable travel choices across the region.”

Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport at Plymouth City Council, said:

“We are so pleased to be working with Stagecoach, Devon and Torbay Council’s to deliver this vital service to those who live both outside of the city and who need to commute out of Plymouth.

“We are devoted to investing in our transport methods in and out of Plymouth and this continued partnership will help deliver vital links to people who need to get into the city for work or other commitments.

“Living in rural areas can be difficult in terms of having efficient public transport and we are so pleased that we can continue offering this service to bus users, with new improvements on the way.”

Cllr Adam Billings, Cabinet Member for Pride in Place and Parking for Torbay Council, said;

“We are pleased to continue our delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plan schemes across the region. The enhanced services support our continued commitment to increase travel choices for Torbay residents and visitors.

“The improvement to rural bus services between Paignton and Plymouth comes at a time of substantial investment in the bus network for Torbay.

“The revised service will sit alongside other local service improvements including the shift to an electric bus fleet and more frequent and faster journeys reconnecting our communities.”

Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said:

"We're committed to improving sustainable travel across Devon and ensuring as many of our local communities benefit from our Bus Service Improvement Plan funding, particularly in rural areas.

“I very much welcome these improvements to Service 80. It highlights what we can achieve by working closely with our partners and it will make bus travel a much more convenient option for residents in Totnes, South Brent and Ivybridge."

The changes reflect a shared commitment from Stagecoach and its local authority partners to improve public transport in the South West, supporting both local connectivity and the wider goals of reducing congestion and carbon emissions.